Mourinho Calls Lee Kang-in's Tackle a "Clear Red Card," While Simeone Urges to "Keep the Line"

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho launched a scathing criticism against the referee and the video assistant referee (VAR) after losing the Madrid derby in the Spanish professional football league La Liga.

Real Madrid suffered a 1-2 away defeat to Atletico Madrid in the 7th round of the 2026-2027 La Liga season held yesterday (September 20, local time) at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain, compounded by a red card.

After the match, Mourinho voiced his frustration over the officiating during the official press conference by holding up two photos.

Mourinho focused on two incidents in the first half: Atletico's Cristian Romero stepping on Jude Bellingham's knee resulting in only a yellow card rather than a red, and Lee Kang-in tackling Federico Valverde towards the ankle resulting in only a foul with no card given.

"Here are the moments that decided the flow of the match," Mourinho said. "Both were clear red card offenses."

He vented his anger, saying, "We had a difficult time playing with 10 men. Imagine how it would have been if the opponent had two players sent off and we played 11 against 9 for 50 minutes."

He went on to point out, "I don't know why a referee who is 41 years old and has no international match experience was assigned to this game. He couldn't handle the pressure."

He continued his scathing remarks, saying, "It was a combination of an incompetent referee who has only handled small matches and a VAR referee with a history of numerous misjudgments. The ones who would be happy with today's result are the Atletico fans and the referee appointment committee."

Immediately after the match, Real Madrid also announced, "Valverde suffered severe damage to his left ankle from Lee Kang-in's tackle," adding, "He will undergo additional detailed medical examinations."

On the other hand, Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone responded to Mourinho's remarks by holding back his words, stating, "I always respect other people's opinions. People like Mourinho and myself must speak carefully and keep the line."
 
(Photo: Capture from AS TV, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.